Pokemon Oblivion
by StrifesMercy
Summary: The savior of the Artona Region has died. Her best friend and a group of rag-tag trainers have to now convince the 13 Gym Circuit leaders to help them fight Yveltal before he destroys everything they know and love, but it won't be an easy process. Rated M for adult subject matters.
1. Prologue

**Prelude**

Fear. Sweat. Adrenaline. Mel dug her feet into the ground beneath her to silence her instinctual desire to quiver. She blew her dark hair out of her eyes with a steady breath, locking her gaze with the man six feet in front of her. A smirk on his face, he appeared perfectly still, confident in his abilities to take her down.

Their Pokemon stood beside them, readying themselves for instructions on what to do next. Mel's Zebstrika flared his nostrils, electricity eminating from his mane. The man's Sableye was chuckling underneath his breath - a rhythmic hiss to Mel's ears - and swaying his arms back and forth against the wind.

A rain had begun to pick up and the sky darkened, presenting an appropriate stage for the two to do battle, but neither one moved.

Mel's fingers twitched. She dared not stray her pupils from her target. Zebstrika was so in sync with her that she knew he would react when she felt the time was right. The only uncertain variable was whether or not the man would start things off.

Sableye took a step forward. The man slowly lifted his hand, curling his fingers to a point and opened his mouth. "Sableye-" he began.

Mel's heart jumped and she felt herself react before he had the chance to finish his sentence. "Zebstrika now!"

The zebra whinnied as electric surges tore through his body, giving him an almost glow about him. He lowered his head and charged at Sableye, lifting him into the air and headbutting him far behind his master.

The man stifiled a laugh.

Zebstrika's anticipated anger poured out of him as he charged towards his opponent again, calling from the skies a thunder so large it blinded Mel for a moment. Sableye was drowned within it.

Mel caught herself feeling excitement, but the moment was fleeting as she saw Sableye standing tall once the thunder ceased. "Zebstrika, Overheat!"

Zebstrika's majestic black and white coat darkened to a deep red. Smoke began soaring from his eyes. His body heated to a foreign temperature and fire blasted from his being, searing Sableye within its grasp.

Much to Mel's surprise, he stood straight after the blast just as he had before.

"Wha..."

"Sableye," the man instructed, "Fake Out."

The Pokemon's eerie grin widened. He jumped into the air and landed directly onto Zebstrika's back, extending his claws and slapping Zebstrika's head with both hands as hard as he could.

Zebstrika whimpered as Sableye jumped off of him, losing his balance and falling forwards. "Zebstrika, Overheat!" Mel cried. The zebra shook his head, attempting to warm himself a second time, but failed.

"Swagger!" the man shouted.

Sableye moved his hands in a pattern, sending out a wave of translucent energy at his enemy. Zebstrika was hit full-on and started stumbling over himself even more. He felt a surge of power wash over him but was having a hard time determining what to do with it.

"Thunderbolt, now!" Mel exclaimed, but Zebstrika was too disoriented to focus. He lifted his head to the sky and brought down another thunderbolt, trying to aim at Sableye, but in turn sent it flying towards his owner.

Mel jumped to the side, landing on her ribs as the thunder licked the bottoms of her feet. She had barely missed it. "Zebstrika!" she shouted, her eyes furrowed in worry.

The man let out a triumphant gloat, practically singing with elation. "Foolish girl," he hissed. "You're going to get your Pokemon killed!"

"No!" she responded, feigning a condifent demeanor. "We can fight! We will never give up! You're going to regret ever coming here!"

"I highly doubt that." He turned back to his Sableye. "You know what to do!"

Sableye's eyes began to glow. The shadow beneath him opened up and swallowed him whole. Zebstrika, in his confusion, frantically moved about trying to find the other Pokemon, but he seemed to have disappeared.

Mel's heart was racing. She shared her Pokemon's concern and felt herself begin to shake. "Where...where is he?!" she muttered.

A few seconds went by before the shadow reappeared around Mel's feet. Zebstrika turned to look and dug his hooves into the dirt, readying himself for a charge. Mel slowly stepped backward and the shadow followed.

"Go!" the man cried.

Suddenly and without warning, Sableye's arms reached up from the darkness and stretched around Mel's legs, pulling her down to the ground. In a beat he clawed his way up her body to her chest and bore his way through her skin towards her heart. She gasped, feeling his fingers surrounding it.

Zebstrika ran as fast as he could to Sableye to try to save his trainer but he couldn't see straight. He headbutted himself into a boulder.

Mel was breathing heavy as Sableye began to pull. Her chest was bleeding more and more as the opening his claws had left grew larger and larger. She could feel herself getting lightheaded.

Her Pokemon let out a cry and tried to electrocute Sableye with all of his might, but missed.

Sableye had pulled out Mel's heart and cackled with glee as she choked.

The final sounds Mel heard were the man's horrid laughter and her Pokemon's whinnies of despair and rage. The last thing she saw before everything went black was Sableye chomping down on her heart, devouring it in seconds.


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

Mel's statue stood twelve feet tall and hovered over where she was laid to rest. It seemed gargantuan when it first went up, but in the time since then Lark had become used to its size. It didn't really make up for the fact she was gone, but at least it gave the people of Zelandica something to mourn over.

Being the best friend of the girl who was supposed to save the world was a difficult job to do. Lark had no Pokemon and did not accompany Mel on her journey across the Artona Region, but she was definitely a wonderful source of support. Lark stayed with Mel's mother while she was away on her quest to find herself and even started up a fan club as she ascended the ranks towards Pokemon Master.

Lark was used to being the best friend. She was happy to watch Mel succeed over and over again. When the town elders predicted she would one day save the world, Mel had accepted the responsibility like it was what she had planned for Saturday night. She was so confident in what she did that it inspired hope in everyone around her.

When Yveltal, the legendary Dark/Flying Pokemon, began to reak havoc on the region for reasons unknown, everyone expected Mel would save them all. Everyone anticipated her finding where Yveltal was hiding and defeating him in battle with her trusty sidekick Zebstrika, bringing peace back to where it belonged. Lark would wager people felt safer knowing Mel was around despite the destruction the legendary caused.

She was, after all, the granddaughter of the great Lt. Surge from Kanto. Greatness was in her blood.

Then came a day that surprised the entire town and sent residents reeling into depression and fear; the day Mel's body was brought to Zelandica.

Zebstrika had carried her body on his back from who-knows-where and tried to explain to Pokemon Whisperers what had happened. Even they had issues with understanding the full story, but the gist of it that became passed around and accepted as fact was that a rogue man threatening her hometown killed her in a battle meant for Pokemon. Sadly, she couldn't be avenged since they had no details on the man or his Pokemon.

Men from different towns nearby offered to take up arms against Yveltal in order to stop his reign of terror, but none have since succeeded. The Pokemon ravaged and destroyed many towns and cities, causing people to retreat back into their homes. Pokemon battles were scarce. People began turning to frowned upon practices. From the rubble of their homes, they emerged with lesser morals.

There were four cities that had built a wall around themselves to keep them out of Yveltal's path of destruction, but Lark had heard they were exclusive and did not allow people within their sanctuary since Yveltal. They were the untouched cities with clean water and large buildings, the only ones worth a damn.

Zelandica had been hit first when Yveltal became angry. No trees grew leaves any more and there was rubble everywhere. Houses along the nearest route were destroyed and only left standing with the bare essentials. At least when Mel was alive the town didn't feel so gray, but now, there was hardly reason to visit.

"Hey," a voice said, breaking Lark of her thoughts and causing her to turn around.

It was Jace, a boy who had been casual friends with Mel as far as Lark was concerned. "Hey Jace," Lark said.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked up at the statue. He stared for a moment before shrugging. "What are we gonna do without her?" he asked, not really directing his question towards anyone in particular.

"What is the region going to do without her," Lark corrected.

Jace ran his fingers through his dark hair and sighed. "I heard Yveltal crashed another city today." He shook his head. "There's just no end in sight. He's gonna wipe us all off the planet."

"So far he's only been confined to Artona though, so there's still time to save the other regions."

"You sound hopeful."

"I wouldn't say hopeful..." Lark trailed off. She looked back at Mel's gaze, her determined pose, her fists held forever in the air. "Just being matter-of-fact."

"Matter-of-fact is Mel's gone and Yveltal's still here. The dude's so pissed off and no one knows why." Jace sighed. "Someone's got to do something about this."

Lark cocked her head to the side. "Got anyone in mind?"

Jace shrugged a second time. "Well, actually..." He turned his eyes towards the sky, looking at her from his peripherals. "I was thinking I should do something about it."

Lark raised her eyebrows. "You? Why?"

"I don't know, I just... I just can't take this anymore, you know? I'm tired of living in fear that Yveltal will swing back this way. I'm tired of doing nothing but watch as he tears our homeland apart."

"You don't even have a Pokemon," Lark retorted, "how do you expect to defeat him in battle? It took Mel forever just to get to where she was with Zebstrika, I highly doubt you can reach her status in a short amount of time."

"All I can do is try," Jace responded. He was now looking her in the eyes. "It's better than nothing."

Lark sucked in a breath and held it. "I'm sorry, but you just can't do this on your own."

"Then I won't be on my own!" Jace started talking with his hands. "I had an idea, you see... You remember the Gym Circuit?"

"Yeah, when trainers would explore the region and build their strengths. That's what Mel did."

"Right, right, but we don't have one anymore because everyone is too scared and has turned away from order." Jace nodded. "The Gym Circuit leaders are really strong by themselves...what if we got them to help us?"

Lark rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean..."

"No wait, listen. If I travel across the region and brave the destruction and chaos, I can defeat the Gym Circuit leaders in battle and get them to help me go up against Yveltal!" A smile creeped across his face. "That's like, twelve against one!"

"Thirteen."

"Exactly!" Jace began to get excited. "There's no WAY Yveltal could take us all on!"

"What if they don't want to help you?" Lark asked. "I mean, four of them live in a sanctuary on their own and won't even let pizza delivery men inside. They've cut themselves off from everyone."

"I'll be strong enough to force my way in...or something...I don't know yet." Jace reached over and grabbed Lark's hands. "It's the only way, Lark. The world doesn't have Mel to solve all its problems anymore. It's time for all of us to stick together and do this as one big community."

She pulled her hands back. She felt butterflies in her stomach and placed a hand over her tummy. "Well...I guess you could talk to Proffesor Spruce...he might have some Pokemon leftover from when trainers DID the Gym Circuit."

"That's the spirit!" Jace exclaimed. He grabbed onto Lark's arm and started to pull her with him. "Come on, let's go see!"

* * *

"No no no, this won't do!" Millie shouted, stomping her feet against the floor of Professor Spruce's lab. "I do not want one of these Pokemon, they aren't fancy enough!"

Spruce cleared his throat and pulled his labcoat away from his neck. "Well, Ms. Millie, they're all I have."

Millie huffed as she crossed her arms. "No, I don't believe you. Surely you have something else in the back there or something?"

Chris put a hand gently onto her shoulder. She violently turned to glare at him. "These Pokemon aren't so bad," he cooed, "they'll become really strong one day and you'll be attached to them by then!"

"But they're _monkeys_! Monkeys throw their own poop, you know!"

Chris's calming gaze switched to Spruce. "Professor, are you absolutely sure you don't have anymore Pokemon?"

The professor scowled. "What you kids don't seem to understand is that we are living in a world much different from the one you grew up in. Kids don't do the Gym Circuit anymore. People don't leave their hometowns. There is barely a need for Pokemon at all!" He gestured to the three PokeBalls sitting on his desk. "It took me a long time to gather these rare Pokemon, they are good Pokemon. I have nothing else for you to gawk at, so if you want a Pokemon that badly you're just going to have to deal with what I have!"

"Hmph!" Millie sighed. She pushed her long blonde hair away from her face and smoothed out her aqua blue dress. "Then I guess I don't want one that badly!"

She spun around on her heels and started heading towards the door, Chris stumbling to follow her.

As she got to the door, it opened on its own and two people were standing in front of her. "Uh, EXCUSE me," Millie said, her palms on her hips. "You are in my way."

"Sorry," Jace said. He pulled Lark up to the front of the room where the Professor was standing and grinned. "Hi, I'm Jace and this is Lark, and we're here to get our first Pokemon!"

Lark looked surprised. "'We'?"

Millie stomped her foot. "Well you're out of luck," she said, "this stupid Professor doesn't have any left!"

"Uh, that's not true," Chris reassured, ignoring the scowl Millie shot at him. "He's got three."

Jace's eyes lit up. "Three? That's great!"

"Y-Yes," the Professor stammered, "I have three you can choose from. But... may I ask why it is you want one? Surely you're not thinking of doing the Gym Circuit at a time like this?"

"Not exactly." Jace shook his head. "I have a plan to take down Yveltal."

Millie laughed, causing everyone to turn towards her. "You? I'm sorry, but you think you're going to take down Yveltal by yourself?"

"Not by myself," Jace corrected. "See, I'm going to get the Circuit trainers to help me!"

Millie laughed again. Chris rubbed his beard in curiosity. "That's an interesting thought," he murmured.

"It's a stupid thought!" his friend cried. "Besides, taking one of those Pokemon is just going to get you killed. They're some of the worst ones!" Millie rolled her eyes. "They're _monkeys._ "

"Monkeys?" Lark repeated.

"I have Pansear, Panpour, and Pansage at your disposal," the Professor said. "One is fire-type, one is water, and one is grass."

"That's actually pretty rare around here," Jace said.

"How do they evolve?" Lark asked, suddenly interested in the subject.

Professor Spruce sighed. "Well, you need a stone. A fire stone, water stone, or leaf stone."

Millie waved her hands in the air. "As if the monkeys themselves weren't stupid enough, you can't even evolve them! When was the last time any evolution stones like that popped up? They don't just grow on trees!"

Lark finally decided to address her. "Who are you, anyway? You're kind of rude."

"Rude?!" Millie grunted. "My name is Millie, and I was here first, so I should get first pick of the Pokemon!"

Chris wiped his palm over his bald head. "But... I thought you didn't want any of them?"

"I don't! But if these two losers are gonna get one, I'd better get the first pick!" Millie ran over to the desk with the PokeBalls on it and glared at Lark and Jace. She stalled for a moment, unsure of which one to go with, and then with an 'ah-ha', she lifted one into the air above her head. "I choose this one!"

She pointed the PokeBall towards the ground, summoning the Pokemon inside of it. A red light emerged from the ball and revealed a green monkey rubbing his eyes.

"You chose Pansage," the Professor said. "He is the grass-type."

"Grass?!" Millie exclaimed. She stared down at the Pokemon, watching him scratch his butt. "I want to pick again, I don't like this one."

"Too late," Jace inturrupted. "Now it's our turn!"

Lark gulped. "Um, Jace, you never said anything about me getting a Pokemon."

"Well sure!" He smiled. "Don't you want to go with me? You were Mel's best friend after all, don't you want to finish what she started?"

Chris's eyes widened. "You were best friends with Mel? Thee Mel?"

Lark, embarrassed, put her hands behind her back. "I...yeah, I was."

"So what?" Millie argued. "That doesn't make you special."

"I know..."

"Hey, lay off," Jace said, making a shoving gesture towards the blonde. "Lark can become just as strong as Mel if she wants!" He turned towards Lark. "In fact, she has the potential to become even stronger!"

"I'd like to see you try," Millie dared, her Pansage sitting down in front of her.

Lark took a moment to look at everyone in the room individually. Millie dressed as though she came from money. Her flowing dress and ribbons going in and out of her hair gently swayed with the breeze within the lab. Her eyes were darkened with makeup and her fingernails were dressed in polish. Her friend Chris contrasted her in many ways. He was bald with a beard and wore a vest with no undershirt. Chris was a bigger guy and Lark was curious to find out what his connection with Millie was. Jace stood out the most because of his put-together look; a tight green shirt with jeans that complimented his dark complexion. Lark, on the other hand, was wearing a school girl's uniform that matched her purple hair and screamed insecurity. She felt the most out-of-place and certainly did not give off the aura of a Pokemon trainer.

"Come on, Lark," Jace whispered, "you can do this!"

She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Why don't you go first?" she offered. "You're the one who started all of this."

Jace nodded. "Okay then, here I go!"

He glanced at the two PokeBalls left. It didn't take long before his hand hovered over one of them. "I choose... the water-type, Panpour!" He grabbed the ball and sent out his Pokemon immediately.

A blue monkey was sent out, excitedly hopping up and down. "Pan, pan!" she cried. She looked around the room, wondering who her new trainer was.

Jace leaned over and waved. "Hi there, Panpour!" He closed his eyes and smiled.

Panpour smiled back. "Pan!"

Millie crossed her arms. "I don't like that one either."

"Well that's fine because you already have one," Jace said under his breath.

Lark's eyes locked onto the final PokeBall. Never in a million years did she think she was going to become a trainer. This Pokemon was going to be her first-ever partner, the one she began her journey with. It was an important moment for her.

"Oh just grab it already!" Millie shouted. "We all know which one it is!"

Professor Spruce nodded. "You'll have Pansear, the fire-type."

Lark's hand shook as she clasped her fingers around the ball. She pressed the middle button, sending a red light over her shoulder and making the final Pokemon appear.

He was a red monkey with a swirl on the top of his head. He didn't move for a few seconds, as if he was taking in his surroundings. He slowly walked towards Lark, looking her up and down. "H...Hi," Lark stuttered.

Pansear gingerly reached out his hand and expected Lark to take it. She nervously touched it with hers and shook. "Nice to meet you," she said.

Millie picked up her Pansage, taking its hand away from its butt. "You know what? We're going to go with you two," she declared, pointing at Jace and Lark.

"I'm not agreeing to that," Jace responded.

Millie smirked. "You don't have a choice, my friend. I want to be the one who takes down Yveltal, so I'm going to travel alongside you."

Chris seemed surprised. "Millie, you didn't mention this before!"

"Yeah well, I've only just now decided. They're going to need my help anyway."

Lark cleared her throat quietly, glancing first at Jace and then to Pansear. "We do need all the help we can get," she said to Jace.

Jace scowled. "Fine. Lark's right. We need all the help we can get if we're going to take down Yveltal."

Professor Spruce clapped his hands. "Three trainers about to venture across the Artona Region! I haven't seen this happen in quite awhile!"

"Shouldn't you be warning us of the dangers and such?" Millie asked.

Spruce shrugged. "Someone's got to do something. Maybe, just maybe you kids can."


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

The four newly-appointed trainers stood at the edge of their hometown, staring at the route that lay ahead. None of them moved, each one holding their own reservations about leaving Zelandica. Their Pokemon had returned to their balls, unaware of what was to come.

Lark swallowed hard, glancing at everyone else. "Well..." she started. "Who's first?"

Jace nervously bit his lip. "Millie, don't you want to be the first one to step outside our town?"

Millie raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were the leader here, why don't you do it?"

Jace looked at Chris. "What about you?"

Chris waved his hand in front of his face. "I don't have any Pokemon, I can't step into the tall grass."

"Oh you big baby," Millie said, pushing Chris in front of her. "You'll be fine!"

He looked back at her, outstretching his hand. "Do it with me, we'll be the first ones together."

"Nuh-uh!" Millie clutched her PokeBall to her chest. "I'm...I'm too delicate to lead the way."

Seeing as no one was willing to take the first step, Lark reluctantly brought the responsibility onto herself. She slowly lifted her foot and brought it down in front of her, placing it onto the path leading out of town. The other three gasped at her. Without saying a word, she continued to make her way down the pathway, a wind picking up and blowing her hair in front of her face.

Jace started after her, followed by Chris, who held Millie's hand and dragged her along as well.

The four walked for a little ways before coming to a patch of tall brown grass. They stopped and stared at it. "Pokemon hide in tall grass you know," Millie stated.

"Should we get out our Pokemon?" Jace asked.

"I think it would be wise," Chris answered.

Lark reached down to her waist and grabbed the PokeBall seated there. She waited for the others to take theirs out before allowing Pansear to see the world again.

The three monkeys stood before them, sniffing the air and taking in their surroundings.

"Okay," Millie said, "we...we can go now."

Each member of the group walked forward into the grass, wincing in anticipation and cautiously maneuvering through it. All seemed fine as they crossed over it and they made it to the other side without a fight.

"Whew!" Jace cried. "That wasn't so bad."

A few more feet without grass made the trek easy until yet another patch lay in front of them.

Millie grunted. "How many patches of grass are there?!"

"There's gonna be a lot more than this," Jace responded.

They gingerly took their steps and stopped when the grass began to rustle. Everyone froze in place, waiting to see what the source of the sound was.

Eventually, a purple rat showed itself, it's buck tooth sitting front and center of his face.

"Oh my god," Millie exclaimed, "it's a rat!"

"A Rattata, to be exact," Chris corrected.

"Crap, crap, what do we do?!"

Jace pointed at it. "Panpour," he shouted, "use Scratch!"

His Pokemon nodded. She waddled over to the Rattata, stretching out her fingers and clawing his face with her nails.

The Rattata shook it off and went to bite Panpour's arm. He succeeded and Panpour let out a small cry.

"That's okay, Panpour, Scratch again!" Jace instructed.

Panpour reached forward to scratch Rattata but missed.

"Get it, Pokemon, get it!" Millie screamed at her Pansage.

Pansage cocked his head to the side, his eyes halfway open from a desire to sleep. He turned to the rat and shrugged, waving his hand in front of his face. Rattata seemed unsure as to what he was doing and gave Pansage a bite as well.

Without waiting for anyone's Pokemon to attack, Rattata started swiping his tail back and forth, lowering the monkeys' guards.

"Pokemon!" Millie shouted, her Pansage looking back at her. "Do something!"

"It doesn't work like that," Chris told her, "you have to tell him what to do. You don't have a bond yet."

"I don't know what to do! You tell it!" She shoved Chris forward. "Make it fight!"

Chris sighed. "Pansage," he started, the Pokemon adverting his eyes to Chris, "use Scratch!"

Pansage copied Panpour's movement from before and managed to lay a hit on Rattata. The rat appeared tired afterwards and stumbled slightly.

"Go, Panpour, finish him off! Scratch!" Jace shouted.

Panpour delightedly scratched him one more time, sending Rattata to the ground, unable to continue to fight.

Jace threw a fist into the air. "Yeah, we did it! Our first battle!"

Pansear looked at his owner with a disappointed glance. Lark rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. She hadn't told him to do anything. She had just stood there while her friends took over - which was what she was used to doing with Mel.

"Onward!" Jace cried, happily pointing in front of him. One win was enough to encourage him to move forward.

The group continued their venture with ease, fighting various Rattata and winning. Most of the time Jace led the battle while Millie instructed Chris to instruct Pansage, and all the while Lark remained frozen in speech, unsure what to tell her Pansear what to do.

Before long, they came up to the entrance of a forest.

"Where are we?" Millie asked.

"Pieris Forest," Chris answered. "It's full of poison-types. We need antidotes in order to cross it."

"We...we don't have any," Lark said. "You need to buy them at a PokeMart and Zelandica doesn't have one."

Chris rubbed his beard. "Maybe we should go back to the Professor's and heal up then. Who knows, he might even have some antidotes we can use."

Jace shook his head. "We're doing fine, we don't need to go back! Panpour's barely been touched and Pansage looks as lively as he can. Plus, Pansear hasn't even begun to fight yet!"

Lark's eyes adverted to the ground.

"Poison is a serious condition," Chris continued. "If any of our Pokemon get poisoned, it will only be a matter of time before they faint."

"How big is the forest?" Millie asked.

Chris shrugged. "Decent-sized. Might take us a day to get through the whole thing."

"We can do it!" Jace smiled and ran ahead.

"Jace!" Lark called. She ran after him.

Millie and Chris looked at each other. "We really need antidotes," Chris repeated.

Millie shrugged. "We'll be fine! Stop being such a worrywart." She ran in as well.

Chris shoved his hands in his pockets and walked forward.

* * *

The forest was drenched in purple. The grassy floor was covered in lavender, the trees' leaves were dripping in the color, and there was a swampy atmosphere to it. The tall grass was much taller than the patches Lark had seen before and there were logs and rocks littering the area, blocking certain directions and forcing others to go around. The air smelled wet as it passed over the little ponds of water and through the trees and bushes.

Lark was astounded at the overall appearance of Pieris Forest. She caught herself staring multiple times and didn't break her focus until Pansear nudged into her. "What is it?" she asked.

Pansear pointed to himself.

"You?" Lark guessed.

Pansear pounded his fist into his hand.

"Fight?"

The monkey nodded.

"You want to fight... of course..." Lark rubbed her arm. "I... I'll try," she muttered.

"This place is awesome!" Jace frolicked in the tall grass, grabbing it by the fistful and throwing it above his head. "It's purple everywhere!"

"Be careful," Chris said, "you might attract poison-types."

"So? We'll take them down, right Panpour?" Panpour was copying his movements and swinging herself around in a circle.

"Pan!" she agreed.

Chris shook his head. "I really mean it," he said. "You never know when-"

"Hah!" a voice shouted.

The four of them looked to the side.

A blonde-haired boy with blue gloves and a blue hoodie jumped down from a tree, his PokeBall pressed firmly into his palm. "Trainers!" he exclaimed.

Jace smirked, picking up Panpour and pointing to the boy. "Ah-ha! I suppose you're looking for a Pokemon battle!"

"You DID make eye contact after all, those are the rules!" the boy said.

"Alright guys, here we go!"

"Woah woah woah, I'm only ready to fight ONE of you." The boy held up his hands. "Which one's it gonna be?"

Millie flipped her hair behind her. "Not me," she offered.

"Okay then, Lark?" Jace asked.

Lark looked down at her Pokemon. Pansear pleaded with her to send him out, but she felt too afraid to do so. She looked at Jace. "No," she said. Pansear sank to the floor, defeated.

"Then it's just you and me, pal!" Jace threw Panpour in front of him and she landed on her feet, smiling.

"You can call me Dane," said the boy. "I'm aiming to be a Pokemon Master!" He pressed the middle button of his PokeBall and a red light revealed a purple skunk with a large tail.

"Stunky," Chris stated.

"What are you, a walking PokeDex?" Millie said.

"And a map," Lark added, halfway hoping for a chuckle out of someone. None reacted.

Jace cracked his knuckles and pointed. "Panpour, let's start things off with a nice Scratch!"

Panpour happily abided, stepping forward to scratch Stunky.

"Stunky, dodge that!" cried Dane.

The skunk stepped aside as Panpour tried to make contact with him. She blinked her eyes in confusion.

Jace did the same. "Pokemon can dodge?" he muttered to himself.

"Stunky use Poison Gas!"

A noxious odor filled Jace's nostrils as Stunky lifted his tail. A dark gas fell out from the bottom of his tail and surrounded Panpour. She started coughing and began to feel ill.

"Uh-oh, this is what I was afraid of," Chris said. "Panpour is poisoned."

"That's fine, that's fine," Jace assured. "Shake it off, Panpour, you're fine!"

The Pokemon itched her head, her eyes watering and turning red.

"Focus Energy, Stunky!" Dane shouted.

Stunky closed his eyes and braced himself, sending a surge of power through his being.

"What's he doing?" Lark asked.

"He's focusing his determination to win," Chris said. "Panpour's in trouble."

"Come on, Scratch him again!" Jace instructed. Panpour lifted her arm and pulled off a scratch on Stunky, but then fell to her knees, wincing in pain from the poison.

"You'd better heal her," Dane teased.

"We don't need to heal!" Jace responded.

"Okay then. Stunky, Scratch!"

The skunk raised his claws and sliced them across Panpour's face, hard. Unable to withstand the blow, Panpour fell onto her face, wincing again from poison.

"Panpour!" Jace ran over to his Pokemon, cradling her in his arms. "Oh, oh no!"

"Hey, you can't pull a Pokemon out of a trainer battle!" Dane screamed. "You have to fight until it faints!"

"I won't let her faint!" Jace turned to his friends. "Guys, we gotta get out of here, that poison's gonna get her!"

His friends nodded, all heading further into the forest. Dane ran in front of them, blocking their path along with Stunky. "No! You can't leave until we finish our battle!"

Lark looked at Panpour's weak body. Then she looked at Pansear. Pansear nodded to her. "I'll fight," Lark said.

The others' eyes widened. "Really, Lark?" Chris said.

Dane held up a fist. "I don't care which one of you fights me, just do it!"

Pansear's expression narrowed and he turned towards Stunky. Lark cleared her throat, stepping in front of the group. "O...Okay Pansear, let's-"

"Stunky, Poison Gas!"

The skunk repeated his motion and lifted his tail. Pansear saw the gas coming and managed to dodge it, jumping off to the side. "Pansear-"

"Stunky, Scratch!"

Stunky ran towards Pansear and scratched him across the face. Pansear stepped back in pain, then shook his head.

Lark held her breath, angry that Dane kept interrupting her. "Pansear!" she shouted, surprising those around her with the volume of her voice. "Use Play Nice!"

Pansear began to dance around Stunky, waving his arms and twirling about. Stunky started to follow and did the same thing.

"Ignore that, Stunky, just Scratch him again!"

This time, Stunky's scratch felt a lot less intense and Pansear shook it off like it was nothing.

"Scratch, Pansear!" Lark cried. "And don't let up!"

Before she knew it, Pansear started scratching as fast as he could at Stunky, not giving him a chance to respond. All of that pent-up energy that Pansear had from not battling before was finally allowed to be released, and he took that opportunity seriously.

Stunky felt himself getting weaker and weaker until finally, Pansear's scratching caused him to pass out. He fell to the ground and closed his eyes, breathing heavily. Dane returned him to his PokeBall and stared at Lark.

She let out the breath she'd been holding and looked at Pansear. Pansear turned back towards her and smiled, nodding in approval at her ability to tell him what to do.

"Fine," Dane said angrily, "you can go now."

"Not without Lark's prize money!" Millie said, placing her hand on her hip.

" _Fine_." Dane dug into his pocket and pulled out some change, handing it to Lark reluctantly.

"Okay guys, let's find a way out of here!" Jace cried.

The four of them ran off with their Pokemon, away from Dane. He stood in silence, contemplating the battle he had just lost.


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Pieris Forest proved to be quite the challenge on their way out. Poison-types ambushed them every chance they got, and with Panpour out of commission and Millie refusing to fight with Pansage, Pansear was the one taking all of them out. Lark was getting used to battling with him and found a small amount of confidence within herself as a result.

Chris's prediction had proven correct as it took the remainder of the day for them to exit. They came out onto another route and avoided as much of the grass as they could. The night sky was settling in and the moon had risen over the group as they noticed a town up ahead.

"Finally!" Jace cried. By this point, Panpour had all but fainted and weakly sat in Jace's arms.

Millie sniffed the air. "Something smells...pungent..."

Chris followed. "Actually, yes...something does smell."

Lark read the sign in front of the town. "This is Cydia Town," she relayed to the group. "It says it's home to the poison-type leader."

"Oh great," Jace sighed.

The town itself was too dark to make out, as there were no streetlights to offer them sight. The four teenagers stumbled about, trying to find a PokeCenter but having no luck.

Suddenly, a figure came into view. "Hey, man," said a gravelly voice, "you look lost."

Millie gulped. She grabbed hold of Chris's arm and stood behind him. Jace squinted his eyes, trying to make heads or tails of the person in front of them. "We need a PokeCenter, STAT!" he responded.

The figure shifted. "Poke...Center?" It began to hum. "Yeah, yeah, we have one. It's... it's uhh..."

Lark felt Pansear standing before her in a protective stance, ready to strike if this figure turned out to be something threatening.

"Yeah, it's over there." A hand lifted from the darkness and pointed in the opposite direction from where they stood.

"Okay," said Chris, "thank you, we can find it on our own."

"Hey, are you sure you don't need help getting there?" The voice started to slow and an odor similar to that of which Millie had smelled swept through the group.

"We're sure." Chris held Millie's hand and pulled her in the direction the figure pointed. Jace, Lark, and their Pokemon followed suit.

Luckily, they weren't too far off from where they wanted to be. The PokeCenter was dimly lit, making it hard to decipher in the dark, but sure enough it was there.

Jace ran inside first, placing his Panpour on the counter in front of Nurse Joy. "Help," he cried, "she's almost fainted!"

Nurse Joy looked down at the Pokemon and gasped. "Oh my, this looks like a severe case of poisoning! We'll have her fixed up right away!" Nurse Joy turned to her Chansey, who reached out to Jace for Panpour's PokeBall. Jace handed it over.

Lark returned Pansear and handed his PokeBall over in the same manner. Millie crossed her arms. "My Pokemon didn't fight, so he doesn't need healing."

"What about that first Rattata?" Chris reminded her.

She huffed. "Right." She returned Pansage and handed over the PokeBall.

Nurse Joy and Chansey left the room and headed towards the back of the building. Jace sighed, leaning against the counter. "That was too close."

Lark nodded. "We've got to stock up on antidotes now," she said matter-of-factly.

Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out some change. "I have some money with me, we might be able to afford one or two."

"I might need more than that if I'm going to face the leader. I didn't know he was poison-typed."

"Man, this whole town is poison-typed," came a muffled voice. The four turned around and saw a girl with purple hair shielding her eyes and an outfit that had been ripped to shreds. She was smoking something. "Have you ever been here before?"

"No, we're from Zelandica," Jace answered.

"Zelan...Zel...pfft, okay." She took a puff of her cigarette and blew smoke in their direction. "This town is a dump ruled by a drug lord who can't stand Pokemon."

Millie blinked a few times. "Excuse me? Drug lord?"

The girl nodded slowly, propping her legs up on the couch she was laying on. "Rodriguez."

"The Circuit leader can't be a drug lord, it wouldn't be allowed by the system!" Jace argued.

"The _system_? Kid, no one follows the system anymore. Not since Yveltal started ruining everything." She took another drag, blowing smoke rings out of her nostrils. "Everyone here's high on something, and Rodriguez is the one who supplies the drugs. Says he makes 'em with his Pokemon's poisonous gasses."

"I don't believe you!" Jace countered.

"Whatever. Just trying to warn you, that's all." The girl stood, her short pockets reaching lower than her actual shorts. "Get out of here when you get the chance. Don't trust anyone who smells like me. Like I said, we're all high on something." She stumbled to the door and walked outside, leaving a trail of smoke behind her.

Millie's eyes started watering as if she was going to cry. "I don't like this," she said, her voice quivering.

Chris put an arm around her. "It'll be okay," he assured.

Jace glanced over to Lark, who was reeling from the encounter. They didn't say anything to each other but shared a look voicing the same concerns.

* * *

Lark and her friends stayed at the PokeCenter overnight in cots built in the back for adventurers. Daylight seemed to come swiftly, as the four were tired from the start of their journey, and once it came they all stepped outside to get a better look of the town.

It was a disaster.

There was trash all about, just sitting in the streets and blowing in the wind. People who looked and dressed similar to the girl from the night before were riddled all over, leaning against buildings, laying on the ground, and sprawled out on their porches. A few Pokemon could be seen, but even they appeared lackadaisical. That girl wasn't kidding, Lark thought.

There was a PokeMart a few blocks away that the group wandered over to. They anticipated buying only antidotes but pooled their money together to purchase some potions and PokeBalls as well. By the time they were finished, they had two antidotes, two potions, and five PokeBalls to share amongst them.

"So... now what?" Millie asked.

"Well... now we try to get the leader's help," Jace answered.

"If the leader is a ruthless drug lord, how are we going to get him to be on our side?"

"That girl never said 'ruthless'. He could be a nice drug lord."

Millie scoffed at Jace. "She said he hates Pokemon. Why is he a leader if he hates Pokemon?"

"I don't know! Look, it doesn't matter. All I have to do is battle him and then he'll respect me for standing up to him."

"You're not strong enough," Millie argued. "Panpour missed out on battle experience because of being poisoned. The strongest one of us right now is Pansear." She pointed to Lark.

"She's right, Lark," Jace said. "You'll have to be the one to fight him. You tore through that forest."

Lark's expressioned saddened. "I... I don't know if Pansear is strong enough..."

"He's stronger than we are," Jace retorted.

Chris waved his hands in front of everyone. "Hang on guys, how are we even going to find the leader? What was his name... Rodriguez?"

"When the Gym Circuit was still running, all the leaders had Gyms. Surely there's still a Gym nearby he might be at?" Jace put his hand over his eyebrows, dampening the sun's rays from his eyes. "Look! Way over there."

On the North-East side of the town was a large building with much fancier decor than the others. Sure enough, it was the Gym.

Jace led the way towards it and everyone followed. They reached the front of it only to be stopped by a boy with tattered clothes. "Hey, what's the password?" he asked.

"Password?" Jace scratched his head. "No, we're here for Rodriguez."

The boy's expression lit up. "Ohh, okay, you're _those_ people. Kinda young, but, whatever." He disappeared inside the Gym for a few moments before emerging with a paper bag stapled shut. "Here you go."

Millie stared blankly at the bag. "What's this for?"

"You know," he laughed, "it's all your deliveries."

"Deliveries?" Lark repeated.

"Aren't you guys our mules?" the boy asked, confused.

"No, we want to battle Rodriguez!" Jace answered.

"Oh..." The boy pondered for a moment and then took out a cigarette, plopping it into his mouth. "Well, if you wanna see Rodriguez, you gotta deliver those."

Millie grabbed Jace by the arm and harshly whispered in his ear, "I do NOT want to be a drug mule for this junkie, I don't care HOW badly you want to see the leader!"

"What's it gonna be, kids?"

Jace gulped. "Where...where are we supposed to take them?"

"Just to people around town. Anyone who looks sober, really."

"Okay, we'll do it."

"Jace!"

"Alright, buddy, there you go. Come back with the cash and I'll tell you where Rodriguez is." The boy returned to his initial position and started smoking away.

Millie yanked Jace by the arm away from the Gym. "Jace, how dare you answer for us!" she cried.

"Yeah, Jace, I don't want to do this," Lark added.

Chris crossed his arms. "Pretty sure this is illegal."

"Guys, guys, come on, this will be easy." Jace pointed to the people around them. "All we have to do is find a few people who aren't high yet and give these drugs to them. It'll be quick."

Lark looked around to where he pointed. "I don't think anyone here _isn't_ already high."

* * *

The search was long and tedius, and Lark was getting nervous just having the paper bag in their possession. They didn't see any policemen nearby, despite the fact they were exploring the sketchiest parts of Cydia Town.

After a while of searching, Jace huffed. "What even is this stuff anyway?" he asked no one in particular.

"Well don't open it," Millie said, "you might breathe it in and get high yourself, and we need to focus on getting rid of it."

"We _could_ just open the bag and breathe it ourselves, that would get rid of it," Jace suggested.

Chris scoffed. "Jace, listen to yourself. That would be dangerous AND stupid. It's made of poisonous gasses from Pokemon." He crossed his arms. "Plus, we're supposed to collect money for it and none of us have any."

"I'm just trying to come up with an idea here. We can't find anyone who doesn't already have this stuff!"

Just then, a man walked by. He was standing perfectly straight and had a briefcase in his hand. "What about this guy?" Lark said.

The four watched him for a moment before determining that yes, he was sober.

Jace ran up in front of him and the others followed. "Excuse me sir," he began.

The man stopped. He raised an eyebrow at Jace. "Yes?"

"Um..." Jace paused. He wasn't sure how to actually sell the drugs he had been given. "You... You look like you need a good fix!"

Millie slapped her forehead. "I can't believe we're doing this..." she muttered.

"I'm sorry?" the man replied.

Jace held out the paper bag. "I have something here that will... uh..."

Chris shook his head and turned away. Lark held her arm close to her body.

"Kid, are you trying to sell me drugs?"

"Oh, no sir! I mean... well, yes. Do you want some?"

"This is ridiculous," the man spat. "Rodriguez's sending kids out to do his dirty work now? How old are you guys anyway?"

"Fifteen," Jace and Lark answered.

"Eighteen," said Chris.

"Sixteen," chimed Millie.

"For Arceus's sake..." The man yanked the paper bag out of Jace's hands. "Look, I'm going to dispose of this properly. You kids don't need to be getting involved with such things."

Jace held up a finger. "You have to pay for that, sir."

"I'm not paying you a dime for this." The man crumpled up the bag and shoved it into his briefcase, cursing under his breath and walking away.

"Hey! No, you can't-" Jace took a few steps forward and then stopped. Millie placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let him go, Jace, now we don't have to worry about getting into trouble."

"But... but how are we going to get the money now?" Jace asked.

Lark pondered to herself. She looked around the town and remembered noticing some kind of park nearby. Pokemon had been running rampant in it. "I... I have an idea. I don't like it very much, but it might help us out."

Chris turned to face her.

"There was a park back there with poison-type Pokemon in it. If we can get our hands on one, we could just make the drug ourselves and sell that." Lark blinked a few times, waiting to see her friends' reactions.

Millie stomped her foot and slammed her fists against her waist. "No no no, absolutely not! It's one thing to be drug dealers, it's an entirely other thing to be drug makers!"

Jace rubbed his chin. "It might be the only way we can pull this off."

"No! If you guys want to be involved in this, then I'm out!" Millie grabbed Chris by the wrist. "Come on, Chris, let's go stay in the PokeCenter until these druggies finish this mess!"

Chris nodded. "Sorry guys, but Millie's right. I draw the line at making the actual drug." He started away with Millie. "Come get us when you're done."

Lark and Jace looked at each other. She gulped. He shrugged and headed out to where the park was.

* * *

While Cydia Town was littered with garbage, the park was clear and bright. Trees were blossoming and flowers were in bloom. It was surprising, to say the least, that a park harboring poison-type Pokemon was so green.

Lark and Jace wandered, keeping an eye out for a Pokemon they could use. There were Grimer, Gulpin, Ekans, and Seviper frolicking about, but none of them had the kind of noxious gas they needed.

One lone Koffing stood next to the trees. Lark pointed it out. "There. It's perfect."

"Okay. You got the PokeBalls?"

"Check." Lark handed Jace the five PokeBalls they had bought earlier.

"Alright...here I go." Jace sent out Panpour to help him weaken the Koffing. The two of them slowly approached Koffing, trying not to scare him away.

Lark stood from afar to watch.

"Okay Panpour, I want you to surprise him with a Scratch. Can you do that?" Jace said to his Pokemon. Panpour nodded happily. "Whenever you're ready."

Panpour tiptoed over to where Koffing was hovering. He seemed blissfully unaware of Panpour's presence. Panpour gave him another moment of ignorance before jumping up and scratching him. Koffing winced and lowered slightly from his original position. He turned around over and over trying to find Panpour.

"Panpour, Scratch again!" Jace shouted. Koffing noticed where he stood.

Panpour jumped up from the ground again and raked her claws against Koffing's skin.

Koffing angrily started glowing a dark pink color. Lark and Jace were confused. Koffing closed his eyes and cried out, releasing a burst of pink energy at Panpour. Panpour was hit, knocking her balance and causing her to roll down some grass.

"This Koffing knows Psybeam!" Lark cried.

Jace threw his fist into the air. "Well now I definitely want it!"

The fight went back and forth until Koffing seemed to be tiring itself out. Jace grabbed a PokeBall and sent it flying towards Koffing. The ball touched him and enveloped him into a red light. His being was sent inside the ball. It shook a few times before he allowed himself to calm down and get caught.

"Yes!" Jace cried. "I have a Koffing!"

He ran over to where the PokeBall landed, picking it up and storing it inside his pocket. He lifted Panpour into the air and nuzzled her face. "Good job, Panpour!" he praised.

"Okay, Jace, we've got to get the gas now," Lark reminded.

"Right. Koffing, I choose you!" Just as quickly as Koffing was sucked into the PokeBall, he was brought out and floated questioningly between Lark and Jace.

The two of them stared blankly. "How do we do this?" Lark asked.

Jace shrugged. "We'll need some sort of vial to capture the gas in." He looked at Lark. "Do you have one of those potions on you?"

"Just the antidotes. Chris has the potions."

"Well crap... looks like we're gonna need to waste one of them."

"What are you talking about?" Lark asked, having brought out the two vials of antidote from her pockets.

Jace took one and emptied it out onto the grass. Lark gasped. "We'll use this vial to capture Koffing's gas," Jace explained. He turned to his newly caught Pokemon and smiled. "Okay Koffing, use Smog!"

Koffing hovered there, expressionless, doing nothing to indicate he had heard his command.

"Koffing, use Smog!" Jace repeated.

The Pokemon mumbled some noises under his breath and then obeyed, emitting a dark cloud of smoke from the openings on his body.

Jace and Lark started coughing and wheezing, but Jace managed to swipe the vial across the gas with time to spare. He corked the vial and fell to his knees, grasping his chest and coughing as hard as he could.

The smoke cleared a minute later and the air was clear again. Lark smiled. "We have it!" she said. "Now we just gotta sell it."


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Millie and Chris spent most of the day chatting in the PokeCenter, Millie allowing Pansage to come out and play. He behaved himself for the most part, but Millie had to return him the moment he reached down towards his behind. "You stupid poop-slinger," she said, sending him back into his ball.

The doors to the PokeCenter opened and Lark and Jace ran in as fast as they could. "Millie! Chris!" Jace cried. He ran to the back of the center where the cots were and found them sitting on beds opposite each other. "We did it! We sold the drug!"

Millie shushed him and then lowered her head. "You sold it?"

"Yeah! We ran into a couple of sober guys in the park and they gave us money for it!"

"How did you make the drug?" Chris asked.

Lark smiled. "Jace caught a Koffing and we just bottled up his Smog."

"That's it? That's all you did?" Chris raised an eyebrow. "I think you needed to purify it or something... you just outright sold a vial of a Koffing's Smog to someone?"

Lark's heart started pounding. "Is...is that bad?"

Jace shook his head. "I'm sure it will be fine. We've got the money, now let's go see Rodriguez!"

Chris and Millie looked at each other before nodding and walking towards the door.

Once the four of them were at the Gym, they handed money over to the boy guarding it. He glanced at them with a grin and stepped aside, gesturing to the Gym doors. "Head on inside, the boss is waiting for you!"

Jace led the way.

The Gym only had one room. It was large with hardwood floors and a painted PokeBall in the center. There was a painted box on either side of the PokeBall, one where challengers would stand while battling and the other where the leader would stand. Various trainers were smoking in the corners, leaning against walls and sprawling out on the floor. The windows were boarded-shut from the inside, indicating the need for secrecy. Boxes lined the walls filled with what Lark could only assume was more drugs to sell.

The group scanned the room for Rodriguez.

"Looking for me?" said a voice from the ceiling.

A man with tanned-colored skin, wearing a gray tank top and white pants that both exposed muscles of grandeur, jumped down from a beam on the ceiling. He landed with grace onto the Gym floor, a gold chain around his neck gleaming in the artificial light.

"Hola, my friends, I am Rodriguez; leader of Cydia Town's poison-type Gym." He crossed his arms and smiled, a great mustache tickling his cheeks. "What can I do for you?"

Lark, Jace, and Millie grinned. Chris held his expression. "Hello, my name is Jace, and I've come with a proposition for you!"

"Oh?" Rodriguez put his hands on his hips. "Let's hear it."

Jace gulped. He hadn't anticipated getting this far so quickly. "Okay, so, you know Yveltal and how he's been destroying cities?"

"Of course! I hate that foul beast!" Rodriguez made a fist.

"Well, I was thinking if I had the help of the Gym Circuit leaders, all of us could take him down together!" Jace nodded once. "I'd like to ask if you would join me in this cause!"

The poison-leader paused momentarily, brushing his mustache with his fingers. "Who do you have on board currently?" he asked.

"Um... well... nobody. You're the first one we've asked."

"Hah! The first. I must be important to you little ones, eh?"

"Not exactly..." murmured Millie.

Rodriguez overheard her statement. He pointed at her. "You! What was that?"

The rest of the group shot her a look. She seemed surprised at first, but then straightened up her posture and cleared her throat. "We have no respect for a drug lord such as yourself, Rodriguez!"

Silence swept the room. Rodriguez glowered at her. "What did you say?"

"You're a drug lord. Because of you, these two idiots here had to go and make some drugs to sell just to get this meeting with you!"

Lark sucked in a breath. Jace's eyes widened. Chris grabbed Millie's shoulders, trying to keep her quiet.

"Ah... I see what's going on here..." Rodriguez flung his arm out to the side. "Fine, no more pleasantries! Yes I am the supplier of a certain product that gets dispensed to the people of Cydia Town; the business is lucrative and it keeps my people stress-free in this time of crisis! I am also very unhappy when people try to sell their own concoctions without my permission."

"No, see, we're not drug dealers, we just made one tiny vial of Koffing's Smog and sold it to-" Jace began.

"The smog of a Koffing?!" Rodriguez grabbed Jace by the shirt and lifted him off of the ground. "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to inhale straight smog?! You could've killed someone!"

Jace's face fell.

"You damn kids don't know what the hell you are doing!" Rodriguez let go of Jace and watched him fall to the floor on his back. "I run this town you know, I could have you locked up for years just for pissing me off!"

"With what cops?" Millie dared.

"Millie, we really shouldn't try to anger him anymore-" Chris muttered.

"Enough!" Rodriguez waved a hand towards the door and it sealed shut, creating a loud noise that startled the group. He gestured towards different corners of the room and the Junkies began to walk forward, surrounding Jace and the others. "I'm going to teach you a lesson about stepping into my territory."

He snagged a PokeBall out of his pocket and chucked it at Jace. Jace hurriedly tried to get back on his feet.

"Go, Croagunk!"

A blue frog-like creature with giant yellow eyes appeared before Jace, angrily putting himself in a ready-to-attack position.

"Lark!" Millie shouted, "Send out Pansear!"

"Um, okay, uh, go Pansear!" Lark's Pokemon freed himself from his PokeBall and ran over to Croagunk.

With that, the battle had begun.

"Croagunk, use Mud-Slap!"

The frog dug his heels into the Gym floor so fiercly that he brought up dirt and mud. He kicked his feet a bit to soften the element before using it to throw at Pansear.

"Pansear, dodge!" Lark cried. The monkey obliged and dashed to the side, missing the mud entirely.

"Poison Sting!" commanded Rodriguez.

Croagunk lifted his fists and punched the air, sending a poisonous pin to Pansear. It landed in the swirl upon his head and Pansear winced, his eyes reddening just as Panpour's had done previously.

"Lark, he's poisoned!" Chris called out.

"I know, I know," she responded. She frantically reached down into her pocket and pulled out the one antidote they had left. She tossed it to her Pokemon. "Pansear, use this!"

Pansear caught it with his tail and opened the vial, drinking the contents inside. His eyes quickly returned to normal and he straightened, feeling better than he had before.

"Give him a Drain Punch!" Rodriguez shouted.

Croagunk's fist began to glow bright green.

"Get away from it, Pansear!"

Croagunk chased Pansear around the Gym, trying to hit him with his glowing fist and missing every time. Pansear was agile enough to avoid it, but not for long. Eventually, Croagunk caught up to him and slammed his fist into his back.

Pansear fell forward and a green light left his body, going into his opponent.

"Lark, what are you doing?! Attack him!" Millie screamed.

"Right... Pansear! Use Incinerate!"

Pansear pulled himself up from the floor and stifled a whimper. He raised his fists in the air and shot a string of fire out of his mouth that wrapped around Croagunk. When it dissipated, Croagunk shook his head and growled.

"Get that Mud-Slap going!" Rodriguez cried.

This time, Croagunk used his fists to dig below the Gym. He dove in head-first into the mud, emerging with a glob of it in his hands. He lunged it at Pansear.

It made contact with Pansear's face. He took a step back and fell to his knees, his expression twisted in pain. "Sear..." he said. With no more energy left to fight, he flopped down to the floor, unconscious.

Lark held her hands to her face. "Pansear! No, I'm sorry!" She returned him to his PokeBall and Rodriguez laughed.

"Who's next?" he said.

Jace glanced at Millie, who mouthed the word 'no'. He inhaled sharply through his nose and sent out Panpour.

"Scratch him, Panpour!" Jace began.

Panpour's usual happy demeanor was replaced by a worried one. She hesitantly made her way over to the Croagunk and quickly slashed him with her claws, running away after doing so.

Croagunk got down on all fours and huffed. "How about another Drain Punch!" Rodriguez's voice echoed throughout the Gym.

Croagunk stood back up, his fist glowing green again. He charged at Panpour.

Without waiting another minute, Jace threw his second PokeBall and Koffing came out. "Koffing, use Smog!" he shouted.

"Jace, you can't use two Pokemon against one!" Chris said. "You're breaking the rules!"

"There are no rules, not anymore," Jace responded.

Rodriguez let out a hearty laugh. "Two-against-one? I'll take my chances!"

Koffing began to leak a dark gas that covered the arena. The Junkies, Lark, Chris, and Millie all started coughing. Rodriguez stood firm.

The smog damaged Panpour and Croagunk slightly, poisoning Panpour. "Lark, gimme an antidote!"

"We don't have another one, remember?" Lark mimicked dumping out the first antidote.

Jace scowled. "Panpour, hang in there! Use Scratch! Koffing, hit him with Tackle!"

Panpour and Koffing charged at Croagunk.

"Focus on Koffing!" Rodriguez demanded.

Croagunk turned his attention towards Koffing and took the hit from Panpour with ease. Croagunk held up his fists in front of his face and braced himself for the incoming tackle.

Koffing's attack barely moved the frog.

"Jace! Jace, remember Psybeam!" Lark cried.

A lightbulb went off in Jace's head. "Koffing, use Psybeam!"

Koffing began glowing dark pink.

"Croagunk, Drain Punch Panpour!"

Croagunk ignored Koffing and went straight for Panpour, punching her with his glowing fist and absorbing her health. Panpour swayed back and forth before falling to the ground, unable to continue to fight.

Koffing's Psybeam blasted from his body and surrounded Croagunk. The light coming off of him grew brighter and brighter until it climaxed into a supernova, blinding everyone in the Gym.

The light faded and Croagunk was laying down on the floor, unable to get himself back up.

"Croagunk can't fight anymore!" Chris exclaimed.

Rodriguez stood speechless. He returned his Pokemon and looked at his people, all of them awaiting instructions. "What should we do, boss?" asked one of the trainers.

Rodriguez shook his head and held up his hand. "I know when I am beaten." He dismissed them with a wave and they wandered back to their respective corners of the Gym. He glared at Jace and then sighed. "While I'm not happy with how you came about my Gym, I will admit you fight well. I will join your cause to go against Yveltal."

Lark's eyes widened and Millie and Chris high-fived. Jace turned elated and shook Rodriguez's hand. "Thank you, thank you so much!"

Rodriguez pulled his hand away and humphed. "I've been told Yveltal hides away in a crater in the Badlands. I will meet you there when you instruct me to be present. Here..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small badge. "Show this to the others so they know you have my support. It might help you gain traction with some of the other leaders."

Jace excitedly put the badge in his back pocket. He ran over to his friends and celebrated with them until Rodriguez interrupted.

"Now go, and don't interfere with my business again!" he shouted.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Leaving Cydia Town was not a difficult thing to do. Lark was relieved to be out of the town with the pungent smell and garbage everywhere. The biggest success of the day was getting Rodriguez to join the cause against Yveltal. Now all they needed were the twelve remaining Circuit leaders.

The Artona Region had a unique way of doing the Gym Circuit. A trainer would leave their hometown when they were ready and would have an array of options regarding which leaders to face.

"Who are the four standard leaders?" Lark asked as they were walking through the next route.

"Standard?" Chris repeated.

"You know, when kids do the Gym Circuit they are required to have the same four badges before they get to choose who they fight next."

"Oh. Right. Well, you have to face the poison leader, the ghost leader, the psychic leader, and the steel leader. Once you have those four badges, you can take whichever remaining path you'd like."

"Who are in the remaining paths?" Jace asked.

Chris nodded once. "You can either continue your Circuit by going up against bug, fairy, and water; electric, dark, and fire; or ice, dragon, and grass. Then, once you have seven badges, you could challenge the Elite Four."

"Who are the Elite Four?" Millie pondered.

Chris let out a breath. "We don't know. It's been so long since we've had one that no one remembers who they were."

"Did Yveltal break them up?" chimed Lark.

"No, the Elite Four disbanded long before Yveltal. It's unclear as to why they did. For years, collecting the seven badges was all you needed to do to finish your Circuit."

"Now there's not even a Circuit to finish..." Lark breathed.

"In a way, we're sort of doing the Gym Circuit," Millie reassured. "We have to fight each leader and if they all give us badges like Rodriguez did, then we've accomplished the central goal of the Circuit in general!"

"The only difference is," Lark continued, "that we have to talk to all thirteen in order to take down Yveltal. Otherwise, we won't have enough power."

"Do we have time to do that?" Chris asked.

"I... I'm not sure..."

There was a potential for future problems in their quest, but before Lark could voice them, a Pokemon appeared before the four.

"Ew, what is that?" Millie lifted a leg and pulled it to her.

A purple bipedal creature stood straight and put up his fists. "Ty!" he said.

"It's a Tyrogue!" Chris answered. "Tyrogue can evolve into three different Pokemon depending on how strong it is. You could get a Hitmonlee, a Hitmontop, or a Hitmonchan from it."

Ellie's eyes lit up. "Hitmonchan? You mean that handsome Pokemon with the fists of fury?"

Lark raised an eyebrow. "'Handsome'?"

"Yes, yes, you know, they're so protective of their trainers and whatnot- OH I have to have one!"

"You want a Tyrogue?" Jace reitereated.

"Yes, yes I do! Chris!" Millie shoved him in front of her. "Catch it for me!"

Chris shook his head. "Millie, you have to catch your own Pokemon. I can help you fight, but the process of catching one is what starts off the bond between Pokemon and trainer."

Millie put a finger on her chin. "Well... I guess I do want a bond with Hitmonchan..."

"It might not even evolve into one," Jace corrected. "It might be a Hitmonlee or a Hitmontop."

"Nope! It's going to be a Hitmonchan whether it likes it or not!" She flung Pansage's PokeBall forward. "Go, Pansage!"

The green monkey's tail swung back and forth as the red light brought him to the outside world. Tyrogue saw his opponent and got ready to face him.

"Pansage, go after him!" Millie cried.

Pansage's head tilted to the side. He rubbed his cheek for a moment and then stared at his trainer.

"What are you doing? Go fight that Tyrogue!"

Chris put a hand on his scalp. "Millie, remember? You have to tell it what to do."

"You've been doing that, how am I supposed to know what to tell him if I'm not the one doing all the fighting? It's all your fault!"

"But... you told me to-"

"Pansage! Scratch!"

Pansage chuckled to himself and started scratching his own body. Millie's hands turned into fists and she pushed them against her hips.

"Ha-ha, very funny! Scratch the other guy!"

Tyrogue didn't wait for Pansage to attack. He pulled back his fist as far as he could, readying himself as much as possible before flinging it to Pansage's face. Pansage tripped over himself and fell from the attack.

"What was that, Mach Punch?" Chris said to himself.

"Mach _Punch_? Oh my gosh, it IS going to be a Hitmonchan! It knows a punching move! Perfect!" Millie squealed. She put her fists up to her face. "Alright, Pansage, we can't lose him! Work with me here and give him a good Scratch!"

"Millie, that's not-" Chris stopped himself. He sighed.

Pansage trotted over to his opponent, lazily scratching him.

At this point, Tyrogue started getting the full picture surrounding Millie and her Pokemon. He suddenly became uninterested in fighting and began to walk away back where he came from.

"Tyrogue? Tyrogue, come back!" Millie cried. She pushed her way over to Lark and reached into her pockets. "Gimme those PokeBalls, I need to catch this thing!"

"H-Hey!"

Millie had the four PokeBalls in her hands. She ran after Tyrogue. He saw her following him and broke into a run in an attempt to get away from her, which just made Millie run faster.

"Come here!" she grunted.

The two of them started running away from the group. Millie had it set in her head that she would catch Tyrogue, so she wasn't paying attention to how far away they were from her friends.

They came to a clearing and Tyrogue was cornered by trees. He frantically moved his head from side to side, trying to find an exit before Millie caught up to him.

When she did, she held one of the PokeBalls. "Here! Take this!" She chucked it at him. He dodged it. "Hold still!" She threw a second one. He dodged it again.

Millie scoffed and readied herself to throw a third one when something attacked Tyrogue and knocked him over.

She turned her head to see Dane, the trainer they had run into back in Pieris Forest.

"Dane!" she shouted. "You're fighting my Pokemon!"

"Oh, am I?" Dane asked, throwing a PokeBall into the air and catching it without looking. "Looks like he doesn't have an owner to me, so he's up for grabs."

His Stunky was at his side, smirking. "Stun," he said, nodding once.

"Don't you dare catch him!" Millie demanded.

"Stunky, Focus Energy!"

The skunk closed his eyes, focusing all of his power to one single point. Tyrogue looked afraid.

Millie chucked a third PokeBall at Tyrogue. It managed to touch him and absorb him into the light. The ball shook a few times before Tyrogue broke out of it. "No!" Millie shouted.

"Stunky, Fury Swipes!"

The Pokemon's claws gleamed in the sunlight as they emerged from his paws and sliced across Tyrogue's body once, twice, three times. Tyrogue returned the favor by Mach Punching him in the side. Dane threw a potion at Stunky and Stunky drank it with his tail.

Tyrogue was looking tired. Dane reached into his pockets and pulled out a few PokeBalls. He threw one at Tyrogue.

The ball made contact and Tyrogue was sucked inside of it. It shook furiously as if he was trying as hard as he could to break out of it, and sure enough, Tyrogue managed to free himself.

"Yes!" Millie cried.

Dane growled. "Stunky, Scratch!"

Another swipe across Tyrogue's face was brought on by Stunky's Scratch. This time, Tyrogue was unable to continue.

"Now's my chance!" Millie said under her breath. She pulled out the last PokeBall and threw it at the same time Dane threw his. The PokeBalls collided with each other and broke simultaneously. "What?! No, no fair!" Millie shouted.

"Damnit, I'm out of PokeBalls!" Dane shouted. He shook his head. "Come back, Stunky, let's get out of here. I think the next town has a mart we can go to. Then we'll come back and get a better Tyrogue!"

He returned Stunky to his PokeBall and ignored Millie as he ran ahead down the route.

Millie stewed in anger before noticing the Tyrogue was still on the ground, hurt. "Tyrogue?" she said.

Tyrogue tried to roll on his side but failed. "Ty..." he murmured.

"You... you look really hurt..." Millie looked around, finally realizing she was on her own. She sucked in a breath and held it, staring at the Tyrogue. "I can't just leave you in pain! Come on, let's go!" She picked up the Pokemon with certainty and ran back in the direction she thought she had come in order to find her friends.

They had been looking for her as well, and they collided with her in a few short minutes. "Millie, what happened?" Lark asked.

Millie was out of breath. "That Dane kid showed up and beat this little guy within an inch of his life! We need to heal him!"

"Did you catch him?" Chris asked.

"No, I didn't, but we can't just leave him here, can we?"

Jace shook his head. "No, that we can't! Chris, grab some of those potions!"

Chris nodded and handed a couple to Millie. She set Tyrogue down on the grass and poured two potions down his throat. Then she waited. Tyrogue stirred shortly after and opened his eyes. "Ty?" he said.

"Yeah, hey there little guy!" Millie smiled.

"Ty..." Tyrogue got to his knees and wiped his face with the back of his fist. He glanced at Millie and then to the rest of the group before allowing himself to stand. He wobbled a little, but managed to break into a run. Tyrogue had left.

Millie's face turned sour. "Really? After healing you and everything?" she mumbled.

"How many PokeBalls did you use?" Chris asked.

"All of them..." Millie lowered her head, switching positions from sitting on her knees to sitting normally.

"That's okay, we'll get more."

Millie noticed Pansage sitting down to her side. He scooted closer to her and nuzzled up against her ribs. She glared at him. "You are completely useless, do you know that?" she said.

Pansage didn't seem to respond. He continued to nuzzle her.

* * *

The sky seemed to darken as they came upon a burial grounds. Grave markers were flipped on their sides. Dirt was unearthed in different places. Trees were barren and the grass was dead. Translucent balls of energy were swarming about, leaving Chris to believe they were ghost Pokemon.

"This place is creepy," Jace stated, lifting his legs over some of the upturned earth.

"Burial grounds are just places for the dead to rest," Lark said.

"And they're also breeding grounds for ghost Pokemon," Chris added.

Millie shook her head, her hands by her face. "I don't wanna face a ghost Pokemon! They're too scary!" Her eyes widened. "Did you know some ghost Pokemon are actually PEOPLE?"

"What?" Lark said.

"Yeah! Some Pokemon are created when certain things happen to people! Like, like, there's one Pokemon who wears the face of the person who died!"

"You're thinking of Yamask," Chris chimed in. "They're the spirits of people placed in graves and they wear the face they had when they were human. Some say the face is the last expression it had on when it died."

"That can't be true," Lark stated. "Pokemon aren't people!"

Chris chuckled. "Pokemon are lots of things. Banette is the soul of a lost doll forgotten by its owner."

"So you mean to tell me if I died right now, I could turn into a Yamask? Or if I lost a doll it could come to life as a Banette?" Lark blinked a few times. "I wonder if Mel became a Yamask..." she suddenly muttered.

"Guys, look!" Jace pointed.

At the end of the burial grounds was an ominous black gate towering high above them. The sky was significantly darker over the houses that await inside; almost like a perpetual darkness was covering the whole town. A broken sign was in front of the gate.

"It says 'Ephestia, home to the ghost-leader'," Lark read.

"Looks like we made it to our next stop," Chris thought aloud.

"This place is creepier than Cydia Town," Millie whispered.

The four walked ahead, everyone's guards up. They entered the gate and took a look around.

The houses were mostly destroyed, much like the ones back in Zelandica, indicating Yveltal had been through here. There was no live grass, just dark gray dirt stained with red blotches of blood throughout. No people were about, making the emptiness seem more vast than it actually was.

"Do we really need to do this one?" Millie said, her voice shaking. "There's blood all over the ground."

Jace swallowed hard. "We have to. It's the only way."

They made their way to the PokeCenter, healing up their Pokemon and resting in the cots for a bit. In the time they were there, no one entered or left the center. Nurse Joy and Chansey were the only other creatures around.

Once they finished resting, they walked back out into the town and paused. None of them had any idea where to start looking for the leader.

"Eeelelelele!"

A chorus of voices reached their eardrums and a large group of people ran through the town. The men were holding guitars with points on the ends and wore dark green jumpsuits. The women wore same-colored kimonos with bones in their hair and pitchforks in their hands.

"Eeelelelele!" they shouted in unison.

Jace, Millie, Lark, and Chris watched them disappear into a forest, listening to the echoes of their screeching as they left.

"Should we follow them?" Chris asked.

"I think so," Jace answered.

The four of them ran towards the forest. Luckily, the large group's consistent screaming kept Jace, Lark, Chris, and Millie aware of where they were. It didn't take long for them to catch up.

There were so many people in the large group that Jace couldn't see what they were doing. They had stopped and were all talking amongst themselves.

One girl in the back of the group noticed Jace pushing through the people in order to see what the commotion was about. She turned to her Lampent and brought a hand up to her chin.

Millie, Chris, and Lark followed Jace, trying to push through. When they succeeded, they immediately felt the urge to go back and hide. In front of the masses were two corpses laying on top of blood stains.

The four of them raced back to the town and stopped when they were out of breath. "Let's get outta here!" Millie shouted inbetween breaths.

"I agree," said Lark.

"Guys, we CAN'T. We HAVE to find the leader!" Jace argued.

Chris shook his head. "I agree with the girls," he said, "this place is way too dangerous."

"Jace, they killed people!" Millie urged.

"Yeah? Well Yveltal's probably going to kill a lot more if we don't do something about it," Jace shot back.

A girl emerged from the forest, her Lampent in tow. The four stood up straight when they saw her. She walked up to them and stopped a few feet short of where they were and nodded once. "You aren't from around here, are you?" she asked, her voice somewhat soothing.

"We're from Zelandica," Jace answered.

"I see..." Her Lampent flew over to Jace, looking him over twice. Then he made his way through the rest of the group before coming back to the girl. She continued speaking. "What you saw was The Hunt. It's a ceremony of sorts that the people of Ephestia partake in every few days."

"'Every few days'?! They kill a person every few days?!" Millie exclaimed.

"Sometimes it's a person, sometimes it's a Pokemon. It's all in the name of creating more ghost Pokemon for the people to catch."

"Th-that's horrible," Chris stammered.

"It is," the girl responded.

"If you think it's so horrible, why do you join in?" Millie asked.

"I don't. I just follow them like I'm supposed to."

The girl was wearing a long red dress with sleeves that covered her hands. She wore a gem in the middle of her forehead and a red headdress to accompany her dark hair.

"My name is Manju," she said, "and this is my Lampent."

"I'm Jace and that's Millie, Lark, and Chris. We're looking for the Circuit leader, is he around?"

Manju frowned. "Bonesaw?"

Millie shuddered.

"He's out leading The Hunt. He's not one to be trifled with, however. He won't hesitate to kill someone."

"I can see that," Jace said. "Look, we're trying to gather allies to take down Yveltal and we really need his help. Can you take us to him?"

"I'd really rather not. You seem like nice people and I don't want to be responsible for anything happening to you or your Pokemon." Manju started walking away.

"Wait!" Jace shouted. She turned back around. "What if we prove to you that we're capable of handling a meeting with Bonesaw?"

"How so?" Manju was intrigued.

"With a Pokemon battle!"

* * *

Panpour stood a few feet from Jace, sizing up the dark haired trainer and her Lampent. To Jace, the air felt damp with a sort of eerie pressure, clearly eminating from the ghost Pokemon. It made him uneasy, but he shook off the feeling and readied himself for the imminent battle.

"Okay Panpour, let's show her what we're made of!" he nodded to her enthusiastically. He didn't want to make his Pokemon any more nervous than she already was.

"Use Water Gun!"

Panpour glanced in Jace's direction momentarily, then rushed off in a sideways sprint. Her mouth opened wide and a torrent of water shot forth, aimed directly at her opponent.

"Don't let it hit you, Lampent!" Manju yelled out.

The Lampent floated through the foggy air, attempting to avoid the blast of water, but the attack scored a glancing blow. The water hissed as it made contact with the Lampent's ghostly visage and a cloak of steam rose up into the night sky.

"Fire Spin!" Manju cried.

Lampent begun to spin around furiously, creating a swirl of fire within his hands. He let go of it and the fire circle surrounded Panpour, trapping her inside its vortex.

She couldn't see very well through it and every few seconds it would singe her, but she was holding steady.

"Water Gun that vortex, Panpour!" Jace cried.

Panpour focused on the spinning fire in front of her and sent a powerful stream of water towards it, making it disappear completely.

"Now Lick!" Jace instructed.

Panpour's tongue fell out of her mouth and she jumped up on top of Lampent. Lampent struggled to knock her off of him but was unsuccessful. She raked her long tongue against the top of his head, making him collapse beneath her. She jumped off before he hit the ground.

"Shake it off, Lampent! Use Captivate!"

Lampent's demeanor switched on a dime to something a little more suave. He approached Panpour and held out a hand, inviting her to dance. Panpour was confused, but took his hand anyway. The two shared a small dance number and Panpour let her guard down for a moment.

"Quick, now use Ember!"

As they danced, Panpour leaned in to Lampent only to be dowsed in flames as Lampent shot a burst of fire at her.

Panpour's feelings were hurt moreso than her physical body.

"Water Gun him for that!" Jace shouted.

Panpour angrily shot her water at Lampent, forcing steam to rise from his body a second time. He would have been okay with the attack had Panpour let up a little, but she was furious at him for leading her on like that and didn't stop.

Lampent barely got back up.

"Ember!" Manju cried.

Another ball of flame emerged from Lampent's body and attacked Panpour. She shook her head once it dissipated and folded her arms across her body.

"Finish him off with Water Gun!"

One more blast of water was hurled towards Panpour's opponent, forcing Lampent to stay down. He could do no more to fight.

Manju returned her Pokemon and sighed. "Sorry Lampent," she said to the PokeBall.

Jace ran to his Panpour and hugged her, high-fiving her in the process. "Nice going, Panpour!" he shouted. He looked back at Manju, who had her head lowered. "Well? Does that show you how determined we are?"

"Oh, I'm not done yet," Manju said. She took out another PokeBall. Jace gulped. "Go, Minior!"


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

Minior proved to be a more difficult foe than Lampent. Minior's core was pink, but it shielded itself before Panpour had the chance to hit it. Panpour would attack the shell with a water move and the shield would fall, exposing Minior's core and speeding it up. Panpour couldn't get a hit on it.

"Minior, use Tackle!" Manju shouted.

The sentient meteor slammed hard into Panpour, knocking her flat to the ground. Jace returned her reluctantly. He shook his head and delved into his pocket. "Go, Koffing!"

The Pokemon emerged looking completely unaware of what was going on. Minior tackled him before he had the chance to react. "Koff!" he shouted, falling against the ground.

Jace put two fists up. "Koffing, use Smog!"

"Koffing!" said the Pokemon, putting two-and-two together and understanding he was in a battle. A cloud of smoke filled the area, enveloping Minior, but doing minor damage to it.

"Rollout!" Manju cried.

Minior took a break from its usual hovering stance to sit on the ground. It began to roll, gearing itself up for an attack, and then let itself go, soaring up into the air and smacking against Koffing. Koffing lost his balance but straightened. Jace was about to call another attack when Minior rolled on the ground again but this time, much faster. It flew into the air and hit Koffing a second time, knocking him down further than it had before.

"Looks like this isn't gonna stop," Jace said. He pointed a finger. "Use Psybeam!"

That familiar dark pink glow began around Koffing but disappeared when Minior slammed into him a third time. Koffing couldn't keep himself in the air any longer. He tried to initiate the attack again from the ground this time, but Minior succeeded in knocking him far away from the battlefield.

Jace stared, his mouth agape. "Koffing?!" he shouted.

Manju nodded once. "Koffing isn't able to fight anymore," she said. She returned Minior to its PokeBall. "You've lost."

Jace shook his head. "No, no, this is-" He dropped to his knees. "You don't understand how important it is that we meet Bonesaw..."

"Trust me, it's much better this way," Manju assured. She turned her heels in the direction of the PokeCenter and off she went.

Jace sadly pulled out Koffing's PokeBall and used it to return him. Lark, Chris, and Millie approached Jace. "It's okay," Chris said, "we'll find another way."

"Or we could just go home," Millie suggested. Lark shot her a dirty look.

The four made their own way to the PokeCenter to heal up. While Nurse Joy had Jace's Pokemon, they tried to come up with a plan to find a way to meet the ghost-leader. Unfortunately, none of them could think of anything.

"What if..." Lark started. She stopped herself when she realized she had nothing to suggest.

"How about..." Millie scratched the top of her head.

"We could..." Chris stroked his beard with one hand.

Jace sighed. It was getting late and they were all beginning to feel the effects of exhaustion. His Pokemon came back to him and they all retired in the cots in the back of the center. Jace released his Panpour and his Koffing from their balls once everyone started falling asleep.

"You guys did good today," he whispered.

Panpour smiled and climbed up the bed, snuggling herself inbetween Jace's legs. Koffing floated down to his head and nuzzled it with his own. Jace chuckled.

"I'm just sorry we couldn't win. It was my own fault." Koffing and Panpour got themselves comfortable and began to slumber themselves. Jace sighed again. "This is a lot harder than I thought..."

* * *

The group stayed in Ephestia for the next several days, though the town didn't become any more welcoming the longer they nested. They spent their time trying to come up with a strategy, exploring the barren city, or wandering back to the burial grounds to train up their Pokemon; much to Millie's dismay. No trainers were about and Lark wondered where they went during the day.

Finally, a day came where Chris birthed an idea.

"Follow The Hunt, eh?" Jace repeated.

Chris nodded. "It's so simple I don't know why we didn't think of it before. We just join in The Hunt. Since Bonesaw leads it, that'll get us right to him."

"Uh, HELLO, people die at the end of The Hunt!" Millie shouted. "This is just like when you guys wanted to make and sell drugs. I'm not doing it!"

"Millie, if you don't join in The Hunt, who's to say you won't be the one they're hunting?" Chris worried.

Millie gulped. "Ah...I don't want that either... but do we really have to watch these guys kill some people? I don't think I can stomach it."

Lark nodded. "I agree with Millie. Selling drugs was one thing, but basically allowing people to kill each other? That's way worse. I don't think I can do it either."

"Guys," Chris said, "I'm really adamant about this. If you don't follow, I'm afraid they'll go after you. I don't know how they choose who they hunt, and we've been here for several days now. People surely know we're not natives to this town and that could be a criteria."

"Can we stop them?" Jace asked.

"From hunting? I don't know... we should ask Manju." Chris looked around the center. "From what we know, she'll be part of The Hunt as well."

Millie moaned. "Chris, don't make me do this."

Lark sucked in a breath. "I will only do this if we find a way to stop what they're doing," she said shakily.

"Okay, I can do that," Millie agreed. "I will only follow The Hunt if we can stop The Hunt."

Just as they were coming together, a chorus of shrieks could be heard. "That's it," Chris said, "that's The Hunt!"

The four of them ran outside, PokeBalls at the ready. They hesitated in unison before running up to join the vast amount of people running into the forest.

While trying to keep up a brisk run, Lark noticed Manju at the back of the crowd, her Lampent by her side. "Manju," she whispered.

Manju turned her head and smiled. "Hi," she whispered back.

"Manju, we want to stop all of this!"

"What?"

"The Hunt! We want to stop The Hunt!"

Manju shook her head, falling behind the group a little so she could talk to Lark better. "You can't," she whispered harshly.

"But it's wrong!" Lark countered. "Surely you agree?"

"I do, but there's nothing we can do to stop it."

She was no help, Lark thought. She continued to keep up the pace by looking forward, ignoring Manju for the rest of the run.

They all stopped once they came to a clearing. The sound of a motorcycle wafted through the area and everyone began chanting. The cycle stopped at the front of the mass and a man, close to eight-feet-tall, stepped down from it.

"My Bonesmen!" he shouted.

A cheer arose from the crowd.

Jace, Lark, Chris, and Millie couldn't see since they were in the back, but they knew the voice had to have come from Bonesaw.

"Today we have a special treat; a Pokemon OR a human up for grabs!"

Another cheer.

"What's going on?" Millie whispered.

Chris shook his head. "I'm not sure."

Someone in the crowd turned around, having overheard them talking. "What's going on?" he asked viciously.

"Nothing," Chris answered.

"Pay attention!" said the man. He turned back to the front of the crowd.

"You know the drill," Bonesaw's voice was towering over everyone. "One of you lucky Bonesmen get to do the honors! Now disperse so I may pick him."

The mass divied itself up into two groups; one on Bonesaw's left and one on Bonesaw's right. Lark, Chris, Millie, and Jace were caught in the middle. They took a look forward and finally got a good glimpse at the man in charge of The Hunt.

He had curly blonde hair atop a face painted with white. He wore some kind of breathing apparatus on the lower half of his face; a terrifying grin painted on top of it. A necklace of bones fell around his neck atop his bare chest, and he had on dark green shorts that had been torn off at the bottom. Boots adorned his feet and bracers were on his wrists.

Millie gasped. Chris tried to pull her off to the side but Bonesaw noticed her too quickly. He pointed. "You!"

Lark, Chris, and Jace's hearts started pounding. Millie gulped. "Me?" she asked.

Bonesaw menacingly walked towards her, making a 'come hither' motion with his finger. "I've never seen you before."

"I... I'm not from... from around here," Millie stuttered.

"I can see that. Your dress is too vibrant for the eyes of a Bonesman." She noticed at that moment that his eyes were bloodshot red. "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"You're...Bonesaw," she responded.

"That's right. And do you know what this is?" He gestured all around him.

"The Hunt," Millie choked.

Bonesaw walked around her, sizing her up. "What's your name, girl?"

"M...Millie."

"Millie!" Bonesaw shouted. Both crowds laughed. "You look like you've never killed a man, Millie... why don't you do the honors today? We'll initiate you like a proper Bonseman!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up to the front of the clearing. Jace, Lark, and Chris ran up as the crowds put themselves back together. Manju followed.

Bonesaw, still in front of Millie, yanked her hard enough that her PokeBall fell from her pocket.

"Now, I want you to send out your Pokemon," Bonesaw instructed.

Millie was too terrified to disobey. She sent out Pansage, resulting in more laughter from those behind her.

"Oh no, now that won't do," Bonesaw said. He smacked the PokeBall away from her hand and gave her another one. "Use this one."

She couldn't move her legs. Millie softly threw the PokeBall to the side and out emerged a Cofagrigus. Millie instinctively took a step back, along with the rest of the crowd. The Pokemon was quite large and had a disturbing look on its face. Pansage ran behind Millie and held onto her as tightly as he could.

"Now! Are you ready to see the catch of the day?" Bonesaw raised his arms out to his sides. All the Bonesmen cheered.

He stepped aside, revealing to Millie who was in front of her.

She couldn't believe her eyes. In front of her was Dane, tied up next to a Tyrogue; the very same Tyrogue she had helped before.

Lark turned around and saw Manju. "Manju, we've got to stop this," she whispered harshly.

"I don't know what you plan on doing," Manju responded.

Chris joined in. "Whatever it takes!"

Jace's hands fell to his pockets. "I could send out Koffing and Panpour, but they won't be enough. We need your Lampent and Minior."

Lark nodded. "I have a Pansear but he's not as strong as your Pokemon," she chimed in.

Millie felt herself shaking uncontrollably. Cofagrigus was facing the two before him, eagerly awaiting instructions from Millie.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Bonesaw teased. "It's your time to shine! Tell Cofagrigus what to do."

Dane shook his head furiously. "Don't kill me!" he cried. "Take out this Pokemon instead, there are millions like him!"

Tyrogue flinched from the comment. "Ty!" he shouted, a cry so solemn it made Millie's eyes water.

"I...I can't," she whispered. Cofagrigus inched closer to the two, raising his shadowed arms above their heads.

"If you can't do it, then we'll just have to kill you instead," Bonesaw stated.

Dane's Stunky was over to the side, nervously pacing and whimpering for his owner. Dane continued to plea with Millie.

"Guys, we can't wait anymore," Jace said. "If we're going to do something, we have to do it now!"

The others nodded. Lark and Jace brought out their PokeBalls. Manju looked to Lampent and then grabbed her own PokeBalls.

"DO IT, girl!" Bonesaw shouted.

Cofagrigus was now turned towards Millie, ready to strike her.

Suddenly, Jace, Lark, and Manju threw their PokeBalls in the air and released their Pokemon. Everyone turned to look at them, including Bonesaw. Millie took the opportunity to pick up Pansage and run to the back of the group.

"Lampent, Fire Spin!" Manju cried.

Lampent surrounded the group and their Pokemon with a ring of fire blazing high above the crowd.

"Koffing, Smog!" Jace shouted.

Koffing's dark mist filled the area, causing everyone to start coughing and wheezing and giving them a perfect opportunity to run about without being seen. Lampent's Fire Spin moved with Manju to keep her protected as she ran up to the clearing and untied Tyrogue and Dane.

"No!" Bonesaw exclaimed. He ran towards his prisoners but couldn't reach them because of the fire. He growled in anger, pointing at Cofagrigus. "Don't let them get away!" he demanded.

"I have to get Stunky!" Dane cried. He glanced over to where Stunky was. He was overjoyed to see Dane freed, but couldn't get to him because of the fire.

Koffing's smog started to evaporate, allowing the Bonesmen to see again.

"Pansear, go!" Lark pointed in Stunky's direction. Pansear nodded with determination. He jumped through the fire and ran towards the skunk. Bonesaw stood in the way. "Pansear, Incinerate!" The small monkey let loose a stream of fire at Bonesaw. He picked up his feet and stepped back. Pansear led Stunky back to the group and the fire receded momentarily for him to pass through.

Dane scooped him up into his arms and hugged him. "It's okay little one," he cooed.

The Bonesmen all began sending out their own Pokemon, and soon the forest was filled. Lampent's Fire Spin was disappearing slowly. Cofagrigus started to approach the teenagers. Millie continued to panic. "What do we do?!" she screamed.

"We fight!" Jace responded. "We fight as many of them as we can!"

"Are you ready, Pansear?" Lark asked. The Pokemon smirked, nodding twice.

The Fire Spin disappeared completely and everyone's Pokemon started closing in.

Battles broke out between Lark, Millie, Jace, and Manju and the Bonesmen. Cofagrigus focused his attention on Pansage, who fought alongside Tyrogue just to stay alive. Koffing was taking on multiple Pokemon at once. Panpour and Lampent watched each other's back as they fought. Pansear and Minior kept an eye out for Bonesaw, but succeeded in pushing the Bonesmen back in the process. Stunky stayed close to Dane, protecting him as much as he could.

It was an all-out free-for-all.

Everyone was shouting orders and throwing potions. Flashes of red light indicated a Pokemon had been defeated. Pure chaos had erupted.

"Pansage, Vine Whip!" Millie called.

Two vines grew from Pansage's tail, entangling Cofagrigus within them. They held tightly as the ghost Pokemon struggled to escape.

"Koffing, Psybeam!" Jace instructed.

The two Pokemon he fought went down to a dark pink beam shooting out from Koffing's body. They were returned instantly.

"Lampent, Fire Spin!" Manju demanded.

Lampent spun around, releasing a larger ring of fire that burned every Pokemon it touched, sending some back into their PokeBalls.

"Stunky, Poison Gas!"

"Panpour, Water Gun!"

"Minior..." Manju made sure to get her Pokemon's attention. There weren't a lot of Pokemon left, but they were still greater in numbers. She sucked in a breath and shouted as loud as she could, "HYPER BEAM!"

Minior's form glowed with a white hot intensity, as if it were drawing power from a star gone supernova. The air around it fizzled with heat and the rest of Lark's surroundings appeared to dull in contrast by comparison. Suddenly, the Pokemon's power erupted from the center of its body in a massive stream of plasma and energy. It engulfed several Pokemon and their trainers, boring directly through the crowd before evaporating into the distance.

* * *

When the dust had cleared, the Bonesmen and their Pokemon were all sprawled out on the ground, most of them unconscious. Bonesaw examined the damage and let out a yell. "What happened?!"

"You've lost, Bonesaw!" Millie cried.

"RRRRAAAAAUGH!" He balled his hands into fists and slammed them into a tree. "My Bonesmen! You've killed them all!"

Jace shook his head. "No, we've simply knocked them out for the time being."

"Face it, Bonesaw," Manju started, "you can't finish The Hunt without your followers."

Bonesaw, in a rush of fury, stomped over to Manju and clasped his hands around her throat, lifting her in the air. "That's what YOU think!"

Everyone gasped. Chris gathered his strength and tried to pull Bonesaw off of her but failed. Lampent and Minior tried flying into him, knocking the back of his head over and over until finally he dropped her.

Jace ran to Manju, who was gasping on the ground for air.

"Look, Bonesaw, sir..." Jace stood up. "The reason we came to Ephestia in the first place was to recruit you to help us take down Yveltal. We're trying to get all of the Gym Circuit leaders to join in, and we already have Rodriguez..." He reached into his pocket to pull out his badge, but Bonesaw smacked his hand away.

"You're trying to _recruit_ me?!"

"Well... yeah. We were strong enough to beat your Bonesmen so that should prove-"

"I'm not joining you kids! I'm not doing anything to help out you little brats! You've ruined my hunt!"

"Which, by the way," Millie added, "is a completely barbaric thing to do! You need to stop The Hunt at once!"

"' _Stop_ The Hunt'? The Hunt is our way of life! It's how we get more ghost Pokemon, it's how we survive!"

"But it wasn't always like that, right?" Millie pressed. "You were once a Gym leader, weren't you? Just battling kids on their journey through the region? What happened?"

"Yveltal happened!" Bonesaw was practically seething at this point. "He destroyed our homes and food supply, leaving us with nothing to sustain ourselves and no Pokemon to catch! What were we supposed to do?"

"I understand things got hard for you and your people..." Millie continued. "But killing each other is not the answer." She gestured behind her. "If you need food, try to contact Cydia Town! I'm sure they'd be willing to trade goods with you!" She shrugged. "If you need Pokemon, there were plenty hiding themselves in the burial grounds! I'm pretty positive they breed there!" Then she pointed to herself. "If you want to take down Yveltal for doing this to you in the first place, then join us! Join our cause! Fight him together with us!"

Bonesaw's rage quieted for the moment as he pondered what Millie had said. He shook his head. "We can't just go back to the way things were."

"So don't!" Millie responded. "Build a new Ephestia! Start from scratch! Keep the outfits if you want, but ditch the sinful attitudes!"

"Look at it this way..." Manju walked forward. "If you don't stop The Hunt, we'll come after you again. And again. And again, until you do."

Bonesaw glanced back over at the unconscious bodies that lay around him. He waited a beat, then sighed. "I don't suppose I have a choice now, do I?" He reached into his pocket, pulling out a badge. "You have my support."


End file.
